Monthly Archives: July 2012

This is a picture provided by Jerry Heath. It is a picture of what I believe to be the 1973 Gapp & Roush Pinto. This could be 1976. Not sure at this point. Jerry states that Tim Goodner purchased the car and ran it in Super Gas.

READING, PA (Mar. 28) – Under brilliant, sunny skies, a near capacity crowd jammed into Maple Grove Dragway to witness the Pro Stock portion of the four-event Spring all Pro series. Pro Stock racing is usually marked by exciting, super-close competition, but when Sunday’s event was all over, the fans talked more about the near crashes by Wayne Gapp, Larry Lombardo and Don Campanello.

Lombardo took two rounds in his match with Wayne Gapp, recording times of 8.47, 160.14 and 8.44, 160.42; the fastest and quickest times ever for the Grumpy’s Toy Monza of Bill Jenkins. Pat Musi outlasted a dozen entries to win the open Pro Stock feature.

While Lombardo was streaking to record times, Gapp suffered from suspension maladies in his newly completed Pinto, nearly scraping the guard rail on several occasions. Not one to give up easily, Gapp made several between-rounds appearances on the starting line, and finally straightened things out with a strong 8.73, 156.25, only to lose to Lombardo’s 8.44 effort.

Carl Hobson’s ‘Super Fats’ Camaro filled in for Gapp in round two, and recorded a great legal-weight 8.88, 153.06, defeating Lombardo in the process.

Lombardo had a hair-raiser in that one, as he spun his tires through his own water, nearly colliding with the tree, and then just missed the guard rail.

READING, PA (Mar. 28) – Wayne Gapp’s Pinto suffered all sorts of suspension problems in All-Pro opener, darting first to the right and later to the left. After a long afternoon of thrashing he finally turned a 8.73 at 156. (Marv Yeager photo)

The caption reads:
DRIVER OF THE YEAR – Pro Stock sensation Wayne Gapp, second from right, was honored as IHRA’s Driver Of The Year when the International Hot Rod Association held its annual Awards’ Banquet at the Country Club of Bristol Saturday night. Congratulation Gapp, whose famed ‘Taxi’ won four IHRA national events in 1974, are IHRA president Larry Carrier, Mrs. Larry Carrier and Miss IHRA Lisa Johnson. (Staff Photo by John Beach).